Sex Ed
by Rogue Amazon Boo
Summary: Sex…it’s a minefield of expectations, doubts, insecurities, and hormonal idiosyncrasies. Join Koizumi and Otani as they navigate the ups, downs, pleasures, and pitfalls of intimacy. Koizumi/Otani.
1. Crazy Little Thing

**Disclaimer: Not my characters, they belong to Aya Nakahara, Viz, and other companies that I don't know they names of—don't sue.**

**A/N and WARNINGS: I usually loathe having to explain why I am writing something but I figured I would simply get this out of the way beforehand. This story is a mature story that explorers the very real emotional up and downs of a couple deciding to further their relationship. It is not intentional explicit, nor would I consider this a lemon, although most probably would. **

**I simply wished to explore these two characters reactions to ever changing physical aspect of a loving relationship and how it can move people out of their comfort zones. So no, this story is not an excuse to write a sex scene, it is an exploration of sexuality and what it might mean for this particular couple, both together and separately. **

**If you are not mature enough to handle the content don't read it.**

**Sex Ed**

**By Rogue Amazon Boo**

Atsushi Otani may not have had much experience with girls, but even he knew what the sounds coming from his roommate's room meant. He cringed when a loud girlish scream of 'Kami,' echoed off the wood and pulled his pillow over his head. When the bed started squeaking in earnest and he heard the head board bouncing rhythmically off the wall he felt his neck flush in embarrassment.

It figured his roommate would have to be an American transfer student with god like good looks and a deep appreciation for oriental women. It also figured he would insist on having a western style bed.

A futon wouldn't have made half the racket the box spring mattress made.

The girl moaned again and he cursed and pushed himself out of bed. He needed to get out of here. Scowling, he scouted his floor and found the jeans he'd chucked and pulled them on over his boxer shorts. Grabbed a t-shirt from his dresser, yanked it over his head, slipped on his sneakers, and snuck out the door.

He made his way down the stairs and out of the front door, only to realize it was fucking freezing and he'd left his jacket. Otani briefly considered returning to retrieve it, but he really didn't want to go back in there until his roommate and his flavor of the week were done.

He scowled, shivered, and shoved his hands deep into his jean pockets. Kyle was a great guy, smart, fun to hang with, but having him as a roommate was starting to drive him a little crazy.

The man had more sex then Hugh Hefner on Viagra and he wasn't quiet or discreet about it.

Otani frowned and kicked a nearby can into a wall. Kyle was one of the reasons why he hadn't let his girlfriend Risa Koizumi anywhere near his apartment. He was half afraid the handsome blond haired, blue eyed American would take one look at her and decide that she had to be his next conquest.

Even if he didn't tell her a lot, he was well aware of the fact that his girlfriend was beautiful. He would notice the looks she got when they were in public, even if she didn't, and although he was good at hiding it, he wasn't immune to jealously.

His deeper fear though, was that Risa would take one look at his tall good-looking roommate and wonder what the hell she was still doing with a midget like him.

Nineteen and he'd only grown a few centimeters. By American standards he now topped a whopping five foot, three inches, which still left his girlfriend four inches taller than he was.

He knew his fear was unfounded. She loved him and she made no secret of the fact. They had been dating over a year now, not counting the brief period of time they had broken up right before high school graduation, and she was as devoted to him now as she had been when they first got together.

He kicked another can and hunched his shoulders against the wind.

He sighed. If he was being honest with himself Kyle and his lifestyle wasn't the real reason he hadn't allowed Risa to hang out with him at his dorm. The real reason was because he was afraid to be alone with her.

He'd been having these urges lately. Okay, to be truthful, he'd had the same sort of urges since they started dating, but they were a lot easier to control when they both still lived with their families and spent most of their time in school together and around their friends.

Kyle's hedonistic behavior had simply thrown his own neglected libido into the harsh fluorescent glow of the spot light.

His problem simply boiled down to one thing.

Sex.

Or more accurately sex with Koizumi.

Otani pushed his way through the throng that had gathered around the coffee house near campus, bought a soda, and found an empty chair in the corner.

He twisted off the top and took a swig before settling down to people watch. It was Friday night and place was packed with couples hanging out, laughing, kissing, or simply holding hands, enjoying each others' company. He would be doing the same thing, but Risa had to work early tomorrow morning.

She'd teamed up with the stylist she'd met at Mimi's last photo shoot and landed an internship. She was so excited about it and so determined to do a good job that she'd told Otani she wanted to get a good night's sleep so she could get up in time to get ready.

She was determined to not be late and she really wanted to make a good impression on her new boss. He'd been disappointed since he hadn't seen her since last week, but he respected the fact that this was important to her.

Besides, with the way his thoughts had been going lately, it was probably a good thing they weren't hanging out tonight.

He had to face it. The idea of him and Koizumi and sex had been predominating his thoughts lately, and what happened in her room a few weeks ago hadn't helped.

He sipped his soda and let his mind drift back.

"_Otani," Risa panted as his lips closed over her distended nipple. She moaned and wiggled against him causing him to groan as her belly brushed his erection._

_He didn't really know how they'd ended up on her futon with him straddling her hips while he suckled her breasts, but he wasn't complaining and neither was she. He gloated a little inside._

_He knew that people at school and their friends sometimes wondered about them. They weren't very demonstrative in public, usually only holding hands and sometimes bestowing little innocent pecks and hugs on each other in front of others, but when they were alone together it was a whole other matter._

_He moved his lips up the slender column of her throat and captured her lips with his, plunging his tongue inside so it could duel with hers._

_He loved kissing her and the more they had done it the better attuned to each other they'd become. He knew for instance that when he sucked on her tongue lightly she would moan and wither against him and she knew that when she bit his lower lip he would draw in a ragged breath and attack her mouth more forcefully._

_He never forgot the first time, during one of their heavy make-out sessions, when she'd shyly pulled back, fumbled with her t-shirt, and pulled it over her head to revel her satin pink bra. He'd felt his eyes roll back into his head and he'd quickly removed his own shirt, shakily cupping her satin covered breasts and had gently kneading the flesh._

_He'd thought at the time that it couldn't get better than that. He'd been wrong._

_Today, they'd gone a step further and he now had the pleasure of having her topless and bare beneath him. He ran his hands over the skin of her belly and cupped her again, never moving his lips from hers. _

_She arched her back and pressed herself harder against his palms. _

"_Otani," she groaned. He responded by kissing his way back down and drawing her other nipple into his mouth sucking lightly. She wiggled again, brushing him, and he hissed._

_Feeling bold he broke away from her breast and asked._

"_Koizumi, C-Can I touch you? Down there?" She stilled and turned bright red._

"_O-Otani?" He kissed her forehead and smiled._

"_I-I just wanted t-to, try it."_

"_I-I d-don't know. My parents…"_

"_Aren't here and it's okay Koizumi, we don't have to if you don't want to."_

_She smiled at him and kissed him softly. She loved that about her boyfriend, the fact that he never pressured her into doing things with him if she wasn't ready. Still…she bit her lip and linked her fingers with his. She always marveled about the fact that even though he was a small man his hands were large and masculine in comparison to hers._

_When he held her hand the feel of his rough skin and the strength in his fingers always made her feel womanly and petite, and less like the gargantuan Amazon she knew she was. She'd often wondered what it might feel like to have those hands in other places, which is why she'd finally allowed him to touch her without a shirt on._

_Now he wanted to touch her, there. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that. He disentangled their fingers and slid those magic hands over her ribcage and rubbed her breasts again, she had to stop herself from crying out._

_Kami, it felt good when he did that. _

_Heat pooled between her thighs and she rubbed them together, trying to ease the feeling. She bit her lip again. If she allowed him to touch her like he was asking, there was a good chance that she would find the relief she sought and it was Otani. She trusted him to stop if it felt uncomfortable._

_He was fondling her breasts again and the feel of his hands against her sensitive nipples was driving her insane. She was panting and arching into his touch and the heat between her silky legs was now throbbing._

_She turned as red as a tomato and said quietly. "I-It's okay if you w-want to t-touch me."_

_He froze and met her eyes, silently asking if she was sure. She nodded and ever so slowly he pulled off of her and skimmed his hand down between the valley of her breasts over her ribcage, down her abdomen, before slipping underneath the waist band of her sweat pants. She swallowed hard when she felt those strong fingers trace the outline of her panties before slipping under them as well._

_She unconsciously spread her legs a bit and jolted when she felt one of his fingers run along the lips of her sex._

_Otani met her eyes, his own breathing unsteady as he watched the emotions with-in their depths. He could tell she was a little uneasy and excited by what was about to happen. He was sure that he's own eyes mirrored hers and it took an effort on his part to ignore how painful his erection had become._

_He ran his finger down the slit again and marveled at how moist she'd become. Slowly he applied a bit of pressure and ran back up causing her to involuntarily push against him. She turned crimson and tried to look away, but he caught her chin with his free hand and kept her gaze on his. _

_Without thinking too much about it, he ran his finger down, found the opening, and eased his digit inside. She sucked in a ragged breath and her eyes flared. Feeling her moisture coat his hand, he experimentally pushed his hand in deeper and withdrew, starting a steady rhythm. She started panting slightly but he knew something was off. He knew that she should be feeling more pleasure from his touch._

_He added another finger and her eyes went wider, but she still wasn't out of control. Frowning slightly, he moved his thumb and ran it up the slit. She suddenly gasped; he smiled and ran his thumb back over the spot, finding a hard distended nub there. He rubbed it again and this time she moaned and arched her back._

"_O-Otani?" She gasped, uncertain. He responded by increasing the pressure of not only is fingers dipping inside her, but of his thumb circling the bundle of nerves. Risa moaned again and started pushing her hips against his hand in earnest. _

_He couldn't get over how beautiful she looked panting and gasping, her eyes unfocused, all because he was driving her crazy with his touch. He pulled his free hand away from her face; certain she wouldn't look away now, clumsily unbuckled and unzipped his pants, and slipped his own hand down inside his boxer shorts. He continued thrusting into Risa and tried changing the direction of his thumb alternately, trying to find the motion that brought her the most pleasure. She mewled and his other hand wrapped around his straining cock as he started to stroke himself._

_He continued to watch her. Her eyes were now completely unfocused and she was moaning his name like a mantra. He pumped his hand in once, twice, and suddenly she went ridged against his touch. He felt a flood of something sticky, and felt her muscles convulse around his invading fingers, before she collapsed. He groaned and stroked himself hard a few more times before coming against his boxers._

_The both lay there, panting._

Otani felt something straining against his jeans and scowled as he brought his mind back to the present. It had been awkward when they'd both realized the implications of what they'd done.

On one hand he'd brought his girlfriend to climax, something he knew from talks with Kyle, just didn't happen for a lot of girls. Kyle always bragged that his prowess with bringing pleasure to his dates was the stuff of legends, but Otani had to wonder sometimes if he wasn't full of hot air.

He didn't know for sure, because he always left when things started getting hot and heavy in Kyle's room, usually going for a walk or a jog to get his own mind out of territory he still wasn't completely comfortable with.

Part of him had been thrilled that he'd been able to get Risa off, the other part of him had been afraid of where they now went from here.

He frowned and took another sip of his soda. Her parents had come home not long after they'd finished and they'd spent their last few minutes together throwing on clothes and bidding each other a hasty goodbye as he slipped out her window.

He'd only spoken to her a few times on the phone since then and their conversations had been stilted and awkward. He muttered under his breath, disgusted with himself. He'd thought at the time he'd been ready to go there with Risa, but now he was having second thoughts. He didn't like the fact that he'd let his libido and lusts override his good sense. He'd just known at the time that he'd wanted to touch her and make her come more than anything he'd ever wanted in his whole life.

Even tickets to a private Umibōzu concert wouldn't have swayed him and when she'd tentatively said yes, he'd ignored the voice in the back of his head saying she didn't really look like she was ready for such a step and done what he'd wanted anyway.

Now though, he was forced to face the fact that something had shifted in their relationship, and he knew that it was the looming prospect of getting caught up in the moment and actually having sex with each other.

He swirled the contents of his drink around. Did he want to have sex with Risa? It was the forty thousand dollar question.

The answer wasn't all that simple. Yes he desired her and yes he'd be lying if he didn't admit that he'd fantasized what it would be like to be buried deep inside her, connected on an intimate level.

It was even worse now that he knew what it felt like when he touched her there. If it had felt so good against his fingers he could only imagine what it would feel like caressing his…he shook off that dangerous thought.

At the same time he was afraid that they weren't ready to take the leap to lovers. Risa, for all her energy and determination, was shy when it came to the more intimate aspects of love. He'd known that it had taken her a great deal of courage to say yes to his proposition last week.

He was afraid that if they took their relationship to the next logical step he might be rushing her and in the long run, would lose her because of it.

Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair. What he wanted was dueling with his conscience in an epic struggle to decide what to do about his and Risa's current situation.

He couldn't find a solution, but he did know one thing. Eventually, something was going to break and he hoped they didn't break up in the process.


	2. Called Love

Risa had been staring off into space for the past three minutes, much to Nobu's annoyance. The petite, sandy-haired girl slapped her friend on the shoulder; bringing her back to her senses. Risa blinked, focused on the other girl, and blushed. Curious, she raised an eyebrow.

"Want to tell me where you went?" Risa's blush glowed brighter.

"N-No…I was just…" _Imagining Otani naked and inside me. _Her traitorous mind taunted, but she couldn't tell Nobu that!

The smaller girl sighed. "Risa, every since I've been back to visit you've seemed distracted. I'm your best friend; tell me what's going on, you'll feel better."

Risa forced a smile. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just worried about the big photo shoot tomorrow.

Nobu rolled her eyes. "Gimme a break. How long have I known you and you expect me to buy that? You only get that LOOK when you are thinking about Otani."

Risa sighed melodramatically and buried her face in her hands, groaning.

"Risa, just tell me already. You really will feel better."

She made a face and her best friend laughed at the sour expression. Risa was so…animated, really she could be read like a book and that book was telling her that something was frustrating her. She wondered briefly what that idiot Otani had done now.

Still mumbling into her hands she said. "Nobu, have you and Nakao…has he ever…" The smaller girl leaned forward.

"Yes? Has he what?"

Risa turned her head slightly and mumbled. "I let Otani t-touch me…there and he made…I…it felt really good. Now, I'm so embarrassed I can't even look at him!"

Nobu sat there for a moment, blinked once, twice, sure her friend couldn't mean what she thought she meant. As the silence stretched and Risa's face grew redder and redder, Nobu stifled the urge to laugh, reached out her hand, and made her look at her.

She couldn't meet her gaze.

"Risa darling, why are you embarrassed about that?"

"Because it felt…I want him too…" she growled in frustration.

Her best friend graced her with a knowing smirk. "You want to have sex with him."

If Risa was red before, now her whole face turned the shade of a ripe tomato.

She nodded, glumly. "But ever since it happened he seems to be pulling away from me. Do you think he's disgusted with me? Maybe he thinks I'm a slut because I liked it so much…when he…." She sighed. "All I know is that we haven't seen each other in a little over a week and I'm afraid…"

Nobu wanted to hug her friend and then go and beat the snot out of Otani. They were so damn frustrating at times! She was sure that Otani didn't think Risa was a slut, and she was equally sure that he knew that he was the first and only person she would ever allow to touch her like that. She wondered what was going through that idiot's head, pushing his girlfriend away after making her orgasm. Sometimes he really was too dense to live.

Nobu eyed her friend and noticed she was back to staring into space. She got her attention, tilted her head to the side curiously, and asked.

"Have you ever touched him…there?"

From the expression of horror on the taller girl's face she took that as a, 'no'.

"Why, have you ever touched Nakao …there," she whispered. Nobu grinned.

"Many times, he likes it. In fact I think I have the solution to your problem. I have this book that you might like to read. It's an instruction manual. Maybe if you do what the book says to Otani and make him feel good too, you won't be so embarrassed by the fact that he touched you that way."

Risa's eyes went wide. "I-I don't know, Nobu. What if he d-doesn't want me t-to touch…it?"

Her friend cut her off and grinned wickedly. "Trust me, all boys what you to touch it and what I have in mind will have him eating out of the palm of your hand."

* * *

Risa doubled checked the lock on her bedroom door for the third time and paced nervously over to her futon. She looked down at the inconspicuous, thin volume that Nobu had leant to her and reached towards it, only to snatch her hand back at the last minute.

The book was bound in red leather and had no title on the front. It simply looked like a little red book, and she had no idea why she was so afraid to pick it up and read it. Risa glanced at her door again, bit her lip, and looked back down at the book.

"This is silly. It's just a book." She picked it and opened to a random page. Her eyes went wide when she saw the picture staring back at her and she dropped it as if it had burned her.

Nobu couldn't really be suggesting she do that…to Otani. She shook her head vigorously.

"No, no, no, no, no…I can't…" She paused and glanced at the book again. This time her hand trembled a little when she picked it up. She opened it to the middle, found the beginning of the chapter and began to read.

_Remember that the art of fellatio can be enjoyable and arousing for both you and your partner. Begin by gently stroking the penis into an erect state, making sure not to squeeze too hard. When the organ is fully erect, gently wrap your hand around the base to act as a barrier and tenderly take the tip in your mouth, making sure to hold the organ with your lips instead…._

Risa dropped the book again.

"I-I can't…there is no way I would be able to…"

She tried to walk away, but her eyes were once again drawn to the deceptively innocent looking tomb. She had to be crazy to be considering this! She sighed long and deep, and her eyes strayed from the book and landed on her favorite picture. The one she had spent three weeks looking for the perfect frame for.

It was of her and Otani. They were sitting on the steps of the high school after graduation and she was resting her head on his shoulder, holding his hand tightly, and smiling brightly. He had on his normal smirk, but the way he was looking at her…deep affection and wry amusement shined in his eyes.

She loved it when he looked at her like that because in those moments he looked so happy to simply be with her. It wasn't, however, her favorite look.

She flushed and shivered a little. No, her favorite look was the one he'd got when it was just the two of them. When they expressed the more physical side of their relationship deep affection shimmered in his eyes, but instead of being tempered with amusement it was tempered with heat.

Atsushi Otani, in those moments, would look at her as if he wanted her, as if he…desired her. It thrilled her and made her uncomfortable all at once.

She growled in frustration and threw herself on her futon face down. She briefly screamed into her pillow, allowing the plush material to muffle the sound.

Why was it so hard for her to be intimate with her boyfriend? Sure, she responded to him when they were in the heat of the moment, but afterwards she always felt so…embarrassed.

And she almost never initiated contact first. He was almost always the aggressor, the one that pushed them further and further along. The only time she could remember taking the initiative was when she'd taken her top off and let him touch her breasts through her bra.

It was his idea to touch her without her bra, and it was his idea to touch her…there.

She rolled on to her back and stared at the ceiling. She'd let him. One thing about Otani was that he never did anything she hadn't given him permission to do first, but for once Risa wished that she was the one needing his permission.

Oh why couldn't she be like those bold, sexy vixens in soap operas? Why couldn't she seduce her boyfriend and boldly do things to him like that little book suggested?

She glanced at the book again as it lay next to her, mocking her. Hardening her resolve she grabbed it again, took a deep breath, and opened to the chapter she'd left off reading.

Blushing furiously, she read and plotted. Otani wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

Risa paced nervously in front of the bookstore and tried to still her shaking hands. She and Otani had a date tonight and she'd decided to try and put into practice what she'd learned from Nobu's little red book.

She bit her lip and checked her watch for the fiftieth time. She had showed up at the store almost a half an hour earlier, and she still had fifteen minutes before he was scheduled to show. She sank down onto the bench near the front door, leaned forward, and placed her head in her hands.

She tried to draw in a couple of deep, calming breaths, but it didn't help, nothing seemed to help. Kami, what was she thinking!? She wasn't some sexy, confident seductress! She was Risa Koizumi, giraffe, klutz, and all around Amazonian idiot.

She could see it now. She'd come on to her boyfriend, try to take off his pants, probably accidental castrate him in the process, and when she'd try to take him into her mouth she'd miss, poke herself in the eye, and he'd start laughing at her. She groaned and felt her anxiety and depression mount. Who the hell was did she think she was kidding? She couldn't do this. It was going to be a disaster!

She frowned and looked down at the outfit she'd picked out for tonight. It was getting close to summertime, so she had an excuse to wear lighter clothing and she decided to take advantage of that fact. The cream colored spaghetti strap tank top she wore left her midriff bar and the lace dipped low in front

Risa was so busy fretting that she hadn't noticed that the object of her angst had arrived and was looking at her like he was concerned for her sanity. Otani cautiously approached his near frantic girlfriend.

"Are you all right Risa?" She jumped and yelped and he started and yelped.

"What the hell!" He cursed. She gazed at him with trapped doe eyes.

"O-Otani…Kami, don't sneak up on me like that, baka!" She slugged him in the shoulder and he stumbled. With an annoyed grunt he rubbed his now bruised arm.

"Oi, watch it Amazon." She narrowed her eyes.

"Well, that's what you get for scaring me, shrimp."

In the back of her mind the brief notion flashed that she probably shouldn't be starting a fight with her boyfriend if she planned to fellatio him later that night. She squashed it.

Otani's hazel eyes glared back at her in annoyance. "I am not a shrimp. I've grown almost 2.5 centimeters!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Wow, a whole inch…very impressive."

He scowled and stuck his chin out. "You know, if you're going to insult me I can go back to my dorm and finish my homework."

Risa instantly regretted baiting him. She hadn't seen him in over a week and this was the first time they'd both been free since she started her new job. She bit her lip and her expression fell a little. He saw it and instantly felt contrite.

"I'm sorry. Exams are coming up and I've been stressed. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, Koizumi." She gave him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry too, A-chan." His head flew up. She only called him A-chan when she was feeling really bad about something. Now he felt like a complete heel. He leaned in, grasped her chin in his hands and kissed her softly. She responded to his seeking lips instantly and the kiss deepened a little before they pulled away. He grinned at her and she smiled shyly.

"So…we're going to see that new horror flick right?" She brightened and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be great." He smiled wider. How he loved the fact that his girl wasn't into sappy romantic comedies. He'd never thought about it too much, but her enthusiasm and love for the same things that he liked was probably why their unique relationship seemed to work.

He laced his fingers with hers and she flushed again and together they started off down the street towards the movie theater.


	3. How to Drive Your Man Crazy

At the box office, Otani paid for both of them, but Risa insisted on getting the refreshments. He let her and they each got a Coke and candy before handing their tickets to the usher and entering the darkened theater hand in hand.

The movies had posed a conundrum in the beginning of their friendship. Risa usually liked to sit so close to the screen that her eyes would go numb and Atsushi preferred to sit in the very back row. They usually compromised by sitting in the very center of the theater but tonight was opening night and the only seats left were in the far back right hand corner.

Otani was ecstatic, but Risa grumbled as the trudged up the steps to the seats. He released her hand briefly so they could settle their drinks in the armrests. He spent another couple of seconds lifting the arm rest between them so they could link their hands again and snuggle. She flushed with pleasure and scooted a little closer, causing him to grin at her.

Devilishly he leaned over and whispered. "Missed me, didn't you." She scowled at him and tried to cross her arms in a huff, but he had too firm a grip on her hand.

"For you're information I am a confident, independent woman and I'm able to go a week or two without seeing you."

He chuckled a little, and she frowned deeper. He responded by brushing a chaste kiss over her lips.

"I missed you," he whispered, a little bit husky. Her frown melted and another blush stained her cheek. Grudgingly, she relented.

"I may have missed you…once or twice." He smirked and shook his head in amusement, just as the lights dimmed.

"Just watch the movie, baka." There was a deep note of affection lacing the insult so she contented herself with a playful pinch to his arm. He yelped and would have retaliated had not the people in front of them, shhhshed at them. He grumbled about unfair advantages and sweet revenge, and Risa smirked as she settled down against him to watch the movie.

As the movie flickered across the screen Risa moved closer and closer to him and gripped his hand in a white knuckled grip. When the killer leapt out of the woods and took out one of the teenagers by popping his head of with a chainsaw, she buried her head in his chest and practically ended up in his lap. He chuckled again and moved his arms around her shoulders.

Feeling impish, Otani splayed his hand against her lower back, worked his fingers under her top, and gently caressed each delicate vertebra. Up and down he moved his large hand and he felt her breath hitch. He used his other hand to tilt her head down so he could catch her lips with his. She made an inarticulate sound, slightly parting her petal soft lips and giving his tongue access to her mouth.

When she slowly ran her tongue along his he knew it was time to end the heated kiss, or else he was going to find himself in a very embarrassing situation. He gently pushed Risa back, and felt a twinge when she made a small sound of protest.

When she came back to herself she blushed ruby red and slid back into her seat. She blushed further when an old man harrumphed and glared at her. Otani bristled and shot the old geezer a quelling look, before pointedly taking his girlfriend's hand and placing a kiss against the pulse point. The man harrumphed again and turned away. Risa could only look between the old man and her boyfriend with a look of astonishment.

Suddenly, she felt tears prick her eyes and she turned away before he could see them. He really was wonderful. He was always the one there when she needed support, and he was always the first one to fiercely defend her when anyone slighted her. He was loving, sweet, and devoted, and she frankly didn't know what she would do if he wasn't part of her life.

Risa bit her lip, her thoughts spiraling back to that little red book and all the things it showed her how to do. She glanced at his lap and then swiftly turned back to the screen, but now that the thought was in her head she found her eyes irresistibly drawn back to the bulge at her boyfriend's crotch.

Not really understanding what had come over her, she placed her hand on his knee and rubbed slightly. Otani stiffened and shot her a confused look; she graced him with a small, embarrassed smile and slowly moved her hand up another inch. He jerked and swallowed and his eyes were now locked on her slim, artistic fingers.

When her hands ghosted over the top of his thigh he sucked in a harsh, ragged breath. Risa's breathing was none too steady either. She felt hot and sick and wanton and embarrassed all at once, but she wasn't about to back down now. Stealing her resolve, she moved her hand along his inner thigh and he jerked again.

Now came the hard part. Unable to look at him, she moved her hand the last half an inch and cupped him through his trousers. His eyes went wide and he swallowed hard. She could feel him growing against her hand. Unable to stop herself, she stroked him and she heard a low, ragged moan.

Startled, her eyes flew to his and she gasped. He was looking at her as if he wanted to eat her alive. Highly embarrassed, she flushed and tried to jerk her hand away, but he caught her wrist. His gaze never wavering he moved her palm against the rapidly growing bulge and she made a sound that was not unlike a whimper.

In a flash Otani was up and pulling her to her feet. People cursed and muttered but he paid them not a wit of attention as he practically dragged his girlfriend out of the theater.

"Otani…" She tried to say, but he didn't answer, keeping his grip on her wrist he urged her into a run and didn't stop until they were standing in front of a non descript building that she knew from pictures housed his apartment.

Startled, she tried to pull away but he tugged her inside and into the elevator. Only then did he release her.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Koizumi?" She jumped and frowned. He sounded upset and she couldn't fathom why. Nobu had assured her that boys liked being touched there, so why was her boyfriend glaring at her?

"I just…that is…." A flare of anger abruptly engulfed her and she crossed her arms defensively. "What the heck is your problem Otani! Why are you looking at me like that!"

He sputtered. "B-Because…Kami Risa…y-you just can't touch a guy down there, in a public place no less, and expect….expect…"

She hugged herself and threw up her hands. "I-I didn't mean to…not really…it's just Nobu gave me this book and I was feeling so embarrassed that I let you…and she said maybe I wouldn't feel so embarrassed about it if I did t-touched you…and you…you're not making this any easier you know."

She hadn't realized she'd been yelling and she was suddenly so embarrassed she couldn't bear to look at him. Turning away, she hugged herself again and fought tears, digging her nails into her palms to keep from crying.

Risa knew she could be over emotional, but dammit he was so…so clueless sometimes. Didn't he realize how hard that was for her? Sure, now that she thought about it probably wasn't the best idea she ever had to initiate such contact in a crowded movie theater, but she hadn't been thinking about that.

She'd been thinking about their kiss and how he always made her feel special and cherished, even when he was being an idiot.

Silence stretched, lingering and damning and she shifted nervously. Finally, he broke the oppressive tension, asking the last thing she expected.

"A book? You talked about this kind of stuff with Nobu a-and she gave you a book?"

She was saved from a response by the ding of the elevator. Otani seemed not to have realized they'd reached his floor, and the door almost closed again before he shook himself enough to lunge forward and keep it open. Risa pushed past him and stood in the silent hall. She still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I w-wanted to know…and I wasn't sure how to…why do you care if Nobu gave me a book? I-It's not like it's any of your business.

He snorted incredulously, grabbed her wrist again and dragged her towards his apartment. He only let her go long enough to unlock the door, and then he had her hand again and was tugging her inside. He let her go, locked the door, and turned toward her with his arms crossed.

She was staring a hole into the floor and he sighed. His anger gone, he approached her and ducked she he could see her face. She shifted away from him and he caught her chin, leaned up, and brushed his lips against hers. A little of the tension in her shoulders drained away and the ghost of a smile touched her lips. She leaned down a little more and rested her forehead on his.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. She rubbed her nose against his.

"I'm sorry, too…I really didn't mean…"

He gave her another light kiss to cut her off, gently took her hand, and led her to the low couch in the small common room he shared with his roommate. He thanked Kami his lothario roommate wasn't home. He so did not want to deal with Kyle and the leering looks he was bound to send Risa.

He pulled Risa down to sit next to him on the futon and hugged her close. She sighed and sunk into him.

"I'm no good at being a seductress," she grumbled and he chuckled affectionately.

"Oh I don't know about that Koizumi. You were doing all right there for a few minutes. It's just your timing and choice of location that stunk."

She giggled and he chuckled again and soon they were laughing so hard they were clutching their stomachs. Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes Risa finally calmed down enough to grace her boyfriend with a bright sunny smile. He felt it like a blow to his gut and quite unexpectedly he pounced and kissed her. The longer they kissed the deeper and more passionate it became until Risa found herself pinned under her boyfriend, clutching at his neck desperately.

"O-Otani!" she gasped when he nipped the pulse point at her neck. He nuzzled her neck like a puppy and she felt her breathing accelerate. All of a sudden her tension was back. Here they were, alone, in Otani's apartment and she found herself in the perfect situation to practice her new found knowledge. This time however, she thought she better ask him.

"O-Otani," she whispered tentatively. He raised his head to look at her and she turned red.

"I-I was…I was w-wondering if you'd l-let me…" She trialed off and took a deep breath. "I…that is…I want…I want to touch you!"

She practically yelled the last part and he jumped. Luckily, he caught himself before he could let his temper get the better of him and said something stupid. Seeing the look on his girlfriend's face he knew then how hard it was for Risa to ask him that. So he took a calming breath and said.

"Koizumi, you know I love you, right?" Mutely, she nodded. He smiled.

"Then you should know that you don't have to do stuff like that to make me like you."

She swallowed hard.

"I-I know, but I kind of…want too." It was his turn to swallow.

"O-Okay," he whispered hoarsely and leaned back. Shyly, Risa reached over and pressed her hand against the front of his pants. He made a sound that was half choke, half groan and she snatched her hand back.

"D-Did I hurt you?"

He sucked in a ragged breath. "N-No…could you…do that again." Flushing, she returned her hand and instinctively started rubbing. Otani closed his eyes and jerked his hips involuntarily. She could feel him growing against her hand again and she was sure she was beet red. Still…he seemed to like it. She bit her lip and tried to muster up the courage to take the next step. Hands shaking, she reached over and made a fumbling attempt to unbutton his pants. He hissed and she once again whisked her hands away.

"Otani, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." He groaned in frustration.

"I-It didn't hurt." He paused and looked at her and made a decision. "Here, let me show you."

Her eyes went as big as saucers when his hands went to the clasp. He unbuttoned them swiftly, pulled the zipper down, reached in and pulled out his erect member. She flushed, and for some reason felt as if she was hyperventilating.

The crazy thought that was running through her mind was that it looked nothing like the picture in Nobu's book. Curiosity coursed through her, and she reached out again, vaguely recalling the first instructions she'd read. Carefully, she wrapped her palm around his length and stroked lightly upwards. Otani made a strangled sound and bucked his hips.

She went to pull her fingers away again but this time his hand clamped around hers, stilling her retreat. Breathing heavy he moved her hand up and down his length and let out a low moan.

"D-Don't stop," he rasped. Wide eyed, she swallowed again and watched his eyes grew heavy lidded with pleasure. He kept his hand over hers; guiding her, showing her what to do to make him feel good and soon she found her own pulse none too steady. A heady feeling of euphoria encompassed her and she parted her lips. Without really thinking about it she bent down and took the exposed tip in her mouth.

Otani's eyes went impossibly wide and he sucked in a ragged breath.

"R-Risa?" She didn't answer. Batting his hand away she wrapped hers around the base and took more of him into her mouth. A few drops of white, sticky fluid leaked out of the tip and she licked it off and promptly heaved.

It tasted weird, kind of a cross between salt and spoiled cream. Still…he seemed to really be enjoying what she was doing, if the sounds he was making were any indication. Ignoring the taste, she tried to remember what the book had said.

She hallowed her cheeks and started sucking, bobbing her head up and down and stroking with her hand so she didn't choke. Otani let out a hoarse cry and his eyes promptly rolled back into his head.

He was so far gone that he couldn't even warn Risa when he felt his sex tighten. With a loud cry he shot into her mouth. Risa gagged and abruptly pulled away. She was sputtering, coughing, and retching, and wiping at her mouth and chin.

"Oh…ewww," she said and made a face. Otani felt the rapture from his orgasm drain away and he scowled at her, feeling slightly hurt.

"I-It's not that bad!" He protested. She scowled at him.

"It doesn't taste good, either," she countered. He crossed his arms and harrumphed and she rolled her eyes. Only Otani would pitch a fit because she thought he tasted strange. She wouldn't say it was bad, but it wasn't like she'd done this before! She honestly had no idea what to expect. I mean, come on, what did he want? Her to say it tasted like whip cream and to do a jig? She'd never sucked on a man's…down there.

The last thought overrode her annoyance and she turned red again. He'd…She'd….Kami, they'd…

Mortified, she chanced a glance at her boyfriend. He was still scowling a little but when he caught sight of her his lips twitched as if he wanted to grin. His mouth slacked and his gaze softened as he came over to her and kissed her on the forehead.

He blushed a little when he tucked himself back into his pants. He then took her hand gently, tugged her to her feet, and led her into his room. A bit dazed she allowed herself to be led and didn't protest when he laid her down next to him on his futon. He started rubbing her shoulders and gently he slipped the strap of her tank top down her arms.

The movement seemed to snap her out of her fugue state and she shot him a questioning look.

"Otani?" He kissed the tip of her nose and rubbed his hand back up her arm.

"Thank you, Koizumi," he whispered. She flushed and hide her face in her hair but she was also feeling ridiculously pleased. She'd made her boyfriend feel good and even though she'd kind of messed up in the end, he seemed happy with the result. He kissed her bare shoulder and she shivered.

"Do you want me to make you feel good too, Koizumi?" She bit her lip. She could feel her sticky thighs under her skirt, and it was a bit uncomfortable, but she still wasn't all that comfortable with what she'd done tonight. She really just wanted to feel comfortable in her own skin again and that desire was overriding her desire for release.

Tentatively she whispered. "Otani…do you think maybe we could just…sleep together." His eyes went wide and to her horror she realized how what she'd just said, sounded.

"R-Risa," he choked, and she hastily pushed herself up and started waving her hands.

"No…I didn't mean…what I meant…I don't want to have sex!" She blurted. He stared at her, his mouth working like a landed fish, but no sound emerged. Her entire body turned bright red and she stuttered.

"I-I just want to sleep here….with you."

Light dawned and he grinned sheepishly.

"Okay." The tension in her features drained away and she smiled softly. Otani rose long enough to change into some night clothes, and brought her one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxer shorts.

A hint of red dusted her cheeks but she accepted them with a soft, 'thank you' and went into his bathroom to scrub her face clean and pull on the clothes. When she returned Otani was already under the covers. Her boyfriend had a tendency to wear shirts that were a size too big for him so the shirt was more than comfortable enough for her to bed down in.

Smiling shyly, she lay down next to him. He threw the covers over her, placed his arm around her waist and drew her against his chest. She snuggled against him with a contented sigh.

"Goodnight, Otani," she whispered.

He brushed his lips against her cheekbone.

"Goodnight Risa."

They slept.


	4. With Friends Like These

Otani had his head in his hands and he was groaning morosely. Kyle watched his little friend, amusement twinkling in his dark blue eyes. With a wicked grin, he pushed the coffee cup closer to him.

"That's what you get for trying to drink me under the table."

Otani made an inarticulate sound that could have been anything from a curse, to a sound of agreement, and painfully lifted his aching head off the table. Bleary-eyed, he gazed hopefully at the aspirin clutched in his roommate's hand and made a weak grab for it.

Kyle pulled the bottle away and tsked. "Naw, no way…not until you explain to me what got your knickers in such a twist last night."

His hung over friend shot him a weak glare.

"That's blackmail, you bastard."

Kyle's grin widened.

"Yep." Otani scowled.

"Hate you…so much."

Kyle shook his head. He knew the midget didn't mean it, he was just sore because of what happened yesterday morning when he'd let his girl stay over. Kyle frowned slightly.

Not that he understood why his friend was upset. Sure, he'd felt the need to rib him a little, but it had been harmless and as for the flirting…hell, that was just second nature. It wasn't like Risa had responded to it.

He waved the bottle in front of him and watched as Otani followed it like he was drowning and Kyle was holding the last life preserver.

"Come on midget, tell me what's up and the suffering ends," he sing-songed.

"Killing is too good for you…gonna torture…rip your fingers nails off…one by one."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Sure you are, and who the hell you gonna get to hold me down, munchkin? It's not like you can do it."

"Still hate you," Otani muttered. His roommate, tired of getting nowhere fast, smacked him upside the back of his head.

"Dammit, you bastard that hurt!" He snarled. Kyle glared at him.

"That was the point, idiot. Now, tell me what the hell your problem is?" Otani looked away and mumbled.

"You kissed Koizumi."

He rolled his eyes again and spat. "I fucking pecked her on the lips! I was trying to get a rise out of you, asshole. It was all in fun and she sure as hell didn't take in seriously. Man, talk about insecurity."

Otani raised his tortured head enough to meet his roommate's azure gaze.

"You flirted with her," he accused. Kyle gave him an incredulous look.

"I flirt with anyone who has tits. I'm a flirtatious kind of guy, you know that. You also know that I wouldn't poach in a friend's territory. Not that it would do me any good. That girl of yours only has eyes for you. I could see it the moment I met her. I tell you midget, you're one lucky son of a bitch. She's got the nicest, perkiest set of tits I think I seen since I got here, and those legs…damn. If I was a different type of guy I might be jealous."

He glared at his friend. "Don't talk about Risa's tits, or her legs, or any other part of my girlfriend or I'll fucking castrate you while you sleep." Kyle shuddered and cupped himself involuntarily.

"That's just cold, bra. Threatening to cut off my cock. You could get killed in America for saying that." The unrelentingly look his diminutive friend shot him made him sigh.

"Sheesh, fine, be a prick about it. I'm sorry I kissed your girlfriend and I'm sorry I flirted with her, and I'm so very sorry I noticed that she had an ass that could stop traffic, a great rack, and legs that a man wouldn't mind having wrapped around his waist while he pounded into her."

Otani felt his anger boil and then suddenly slumped, defeated and held out his hand. This time Kyle handed him the bottle. He mumbled something unflattering about his roommate's parentage and the blond man grinned.

He knew that Kyle was only saying that shit to rile him, not that he was wrong. Risa had a great body, even if she wasn't aware of it. Having Kyle point it out to him, however, wasn't helping his hangover, or his mood.

Grunting, he struggled with the cap, popped it open, shook two of the white pills out onto his palm, threw them into his mouth, and swallowed them without water. Kyle shuddered a little, wondering how his friend managed to do that and not gag.

"All teasing aside. You gonna tell me what got your back up or not?" Otani frowned, cursed, and said.

"This is why I haven't had Risa over. I knew you'd be an ass and try to put the moves on her." Offended, and now slightly ticked Kyle growled.

"Hey now, I, in no way, shape, or form, tried to put the moves on your girl. Shit bra, you're my friend. Hell, she even knew that when I pecked her on the lips it was a fucking joke. That's why she laughed. Look man, I'm sorry if you thought I was coming on to her…seriously."

Otani shrugged and looked away. Okay, maybe he was overreacting. It was just that when Kyle woke up and found him and Risa sharing breakfast, all the insecurities about their height difference had come bubbling to the surface.

Kyle, in typical Kyle fashion, had seen a beautiful girl and immediately turned on the charm. If he were to be honest, Koizumi had been polite and friendly to him, and she'd also seemed to like him, but she hadn't shown any interest beyond that.

His problem was that he hadn't been able to see beyond how right she and Kyle looked together when they stood next to each other. If the three of them had been walking down the street somewhere, he just knew that everyone would take one look at them and think they were a couple.

He scowled at the aspirin bottle cradled in his hands. Kami, he thought he was over the fact that she was taller than he was. Why the fuck were his old insecurities playing havoc with his mind now?

He knew the answer. It had to do with the fact that he and Koizumi were getting more physical in their relationship and he was worried…worried that he wouldn't be able to satisfy her, despite the fact that he'd done just that a little over a week ago, and that she'd go looking for someone who could.

Of course, if he were to maybe, find someone who could possibly give him a few pointers on what he had to do. He looked at Kyle thoughtfully and blurted.

"You've been with a lot of girls, haven't you." It was less of a question and more of a statement. Kyle preened a little and grinned widely.

"Oh yeah, I've had my fair share of the fairer sex." Otani looked at him, a strange gleam in his eyes.

"How'd you learn how to, you know, get them off?" Kyle had been in the midst of taking a swig of his soda when he'd asked that and promptly choked.

"Shit midget, why the hell are you asking me that? You and the bodacious Amazon not doing the horizontal mambo yet?"

Otani frowned and leaned in. "You're answering my question with a question. You really are just all talk aren't you."

Kyle looked affronted. "Fuck no, I ain't all talk. I'll have you know that I always, always bring my dates to orgasm. I'm a fucking sex machine and what the hell would you know about it anyway? I bet your little hottie hasn't even touched your cock, much less sucked on it."

It was Otani's turn to choke on his drink and Kyle watched in amazement as his friend turned red. He smirked.

"Well, well, looks like I spoke to soon. My little Otani is all grown up and having oral sex."

He flushed again and muttered. "Asshole."

"Hey don't hate the player, hate the game. And now your little overreaction to my harmless flirtation makes sense. So tell me…did you return the favor."

Otani choked again and sputtered.

"W-What!?" Kyle scowled.

"Well that's a resounding, 'no.'"

The shorter man scowled back at him. "I am NOT talking about this with you."

Kyle smirked. "Yes you are and you're talking about it because you want the master to bestow his hard learned secrets. Come grasshopper and I will teach you the ways of the force."

Otani dropped his head back into his hands and groaned. It was going to be a long fucking day.

* * *

Risa stood in front of Takara and helped her adjust the belt she'd just put on the lithe, beautiful model. Behind her Yoko nodded in approval.

"You were right Risa. That belt is the perfect accent to the off-the-shoulder top she's wearing."

Takara turned this way and that, examining the affect of the belt in the mirror and agreed.

"She's right; this totally pulls the whole outfit together. Great job."

Risa flushed with pleasure and smiled brightly.

"It's just because you're so easy to dress, Takara. Everything looks good on you." The model cocked an eyebrow and smirked a bit.

"Don't I know it?"

Risa and Yoko both laughed. They knew the beautiful young woman was joking. Of all the models they'd worked with in the last week or so, Takara was the most down to earth, level headed, un-diva-ish, and least pretentious of all them on the shoot. She was also the most attractive.

Eyes twinkling, she turned to Risa.

"So…when is that cute little boyfriend of yours coming to take you to lunch?" Risa blushed and stammered.

"He said he would be here by twelve-thirty." The model clapped her hands together and squealed delightfully.

"Great, I can't wait to meet him. I hope he knows what a lucky guy he is to have such a fabulous and talented girlfriend."

She turned even redder, unused to such compliments, but inside she flushed with pleasure. Both Yoko and Takara had been so good to her since she started working as Yoko's assistant, and she was happy that they thought so highly of her.

"I have to admit, I'm curious as well. When you showed us that picture I couldn't believe how short he was!" Yoko said. Risa grinned and shrugged helplessly.

"I know it seems kind of strange, but he's the most affectionate, caring, supportive person I've ever met. He's really good to me and I love him."

Takara waved her hand dismissively. "That's all that matters. Come on Yoko, you've met my boyfriend Suji. He's not much taller than Risa's Otani."

Yoko shook her head and laughed. "I just don't get it, all these tall, gorgeous girls dating all these short guys. I guess love really is blind. And you're right. If he's good to her and he loves her as much as she loves him, then that's all that matters."

Takara grinned wickedly. "That…and whether or not he's good in bed."

"Takara!" Risa exclaimed and blushed. The model and her boss laughed.

"Oh come on, Risa, don't be embarrassed. I love Suji to distraction. He's solid, and loving, supportive and loyal, but it's a nice perk that he has a tongue that can do things to my insides that should be illegal, along with other, useful appendages of larger-than-average size."

Yoko swatted the model on her arm playfully and teased. "You are a wonton little hussy, Takara Hattori."

She laughed and waggled her eyebrows. "Only with Suji."

Kozumi was tomato read again and blurted in typical, not thinking before speaking, fashion.

"Why is his tongue a nice perk?" Both women froze and exchanged knowing looks.

Yoko smirked. "You want to tell her or should I?" Takara waved her hand again.

"Oh darling, you do it. You're her boss." Yoko chuckled and leaned in to whisper in the taller girl's ear. As she spoke, Koizumi's doe eyes grew wider and wider and her complexion redder and redder. When she was finished explaining and pulled away, Risa sputtered.

"He licks…down there?"

They both nodded and decided to have pity on the younger girl. Takara threw an affection arm around her shoulders and assured her.

"Don't worry hon, you and Otani will experience these things when you're ready to and don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you don't want to. We're just teasing you a little, that's all."

Risa nodded numbly and gazed at the model, perplexed.

"I-I don't think I'm r-ready for something like that." Something not unlike affection, touched Takara's eyes and she smiled softly.

"You really are too cute for words, Risa darling. Come, let's get out there and see how this outfit you put together for me looks on film."

Risa nodded dumbly and followed her friends out of the trailer, but her mind was no longer on the photo shoot. Thanks to Yoko and Takara she was now wondering just what it would feel like if Otani put his mouth…there.

The prospect wasn't an unpleasant one.


	5. Stupid, Stupid, Boys

Three days later Otani was sitting in his room and scowling at his swim trunks. It was Saturday and he had a date with Koizumi in a half an hour, and since it had warmed up considerable they had decided to go to the water park. Otani threw a bottle of sun tan lotion into his back pack, watching it land on his trunks and his extra clothes, but his mind was only half on his packing.

The other half was equally parts cursing Kyle and dwelling obsessively on what the blond idiot had unrepentantly lodged in his brain. Namely, the art of, as he called it, eating pussy. Otani cursed and threw his mp3 player in next to the lotion.

The stupid fucker had used diagrams! Fucking diagrams! Where the hell had he even found something like that! Otani had been both disgusted and intrigued. To make it even more embarrassing Kyle had tied him to the chair and made him watch American porn for three hours, just so he could perfect the technique.

The diminutive man paused and shuddered. He was male and had the same healthy appreciation for naked women and sex as the next guy, but some of the things his twisted roommate had exposed him to…

He shuddered again. Kyle needed some serious professional help. Scowling and wishing for a gallon of brain bleach, he walked over to his closet and started rummaging around for his sandals. He found them in the back, managed to hit his head painfully trying to extract them, and started cursing again.

Shit, he hated his friend right now. Kyle just didn't get it, being as sex obsessed as he was. Yes, Otani wanted to have sex with Koizumi, but not just to scratch some physical itch. He loved her, dammit! What they had was special. She was important to him and he was not going to fuck up the best relationship he'd ever had because of hormones.

So why in Kami's name could he not get the idea of burying his face between her luscious thighs out of his head?

He groused and muttered. "Stupid pervert. All his fucking fault."

He frowned at his bag, attempting to go through his mental catalogue of everything he needed to bring, but his mind kept straying.

Koiziumi was going to be in a bathing suit today.

A skimpy, scrap of spandex that was going to accent all the places on her body he was trying not to think about.

His frown turned to a scowl. Maybe he should call her and tell her he was sick. It might keep him from going insane.

Sighing, he muttered another curse and went searching for his waterproof wallet. He didn't want to feign sickness; he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. He liked spending time with her. When they were together and not fighting, they had a great time. She was always up for pretty much anything he wanted to do, and vice versa.

They just had so much in common, and if he was the sort of guy to believe in cosmic predestination he would possibility find that fact a little scary.

It was like they were made for each other. She was the peanut butter to his jelly, the ying to his yang, and despite the vast difference in their heights everything else about them simply…worked.

He was still grumbling and throwing things out of his bottom drawer, looking for his wallet when his phone rang. He jumped up, stubbed his toe, cursed loudly, and hobbled over to his desk. He flipped it open without looking at the caller id and growled.

"Yeah."

The person on the other end paused. "Otani? A-Are you all right?" It was Risa.

He sighed and attempted to rein in his temper.

"Yeah…just annoyed. I'm trying to find my water proof wallet."

"Oh is that all? You left it my house the last time we went to the water park. I'll bring it with me."

He ran his hand through his hair, and smiled. "Great, thanks Koiziumi." Another pause and then a tentative, "Are you sure there's nothing else wrong?"

He sighed. How could he answer that? I'm fine but I've been having lustful thoughts about eating you out and I don't know what to do about them. Hell no!

"I'm fine, Risa. I promise. I'll see you in a few minutes okay?" She paused again and reluctantly replied.

"Okay. I got a new swim suit yesterday. I-I hope you like it." He froze and he narrowed his eyes at the phone. She sounded a little scared when she said that and a horrible, sinking feeling lodged itself in the pit of his stomach.

"What kind?" Silence. The feeling grew.

"I-It's a white bikini. Takara picked it out for me." He tried not to choke on his tongue and he could practically feel her blushing. Risa usually wore a modest two piece, and that was bad enough, but now he was picturing her in a scrap of white spandex…his shorts had become painful.

He must have been silent for much too long because she stammered.

"O-Otani? A-Are you there?" He swallowed and his voice came out an octave higher than normal.

"I'm sure I'll like it, Koiziumi. See you in a few minutes." He hung up and spent the next few moments staring at his phone. He was in deep, deep doo-doo.

* * *

Otani had met Risa at her house and from there they had taken the train to the water park. He'd been sweating bullets the whole time and trying not to show it, but from the look she'd given him when they'd parted at the changing area he'd realized he'd been unsuccessful.

Otani cursed, stuffed his clothing into his backpack haphazardly, slipped his saddles on, and donned his sunglasses.

"Okay," he muttered to himself. "It's just a bathing suit, baka. You've seen Risa in a bathing suit before. This is no big deal."

His mental armaments fortified, he squared his shoulders, swung his bag on his back, and walked out, only to feel like he'd been punched in the gut.

Risa stood before him; her lithe body encased in a scrap of shiny white fabric that pushed her modest cleavage to the precipice of decency and a pair of bottoms that veered low below her belly button and molded her bottom. Her long auburn hair was piled in a loose knot on top of her head, and she was picking at the straps of her canvas bag nervously.

"S-So what do you think?"

Speechless, his mouth worked fishlike. "I…that is…Kami Koiziumi."

She smiled, half shy and half pleased, before laughing overly loudly and grabbing his hand.

"Come on! I want to try the new slide. It's almost a vertical drop!"

With a few enthusiastic words and a little-girl-in-a candy-shop grin; his girlfriend diffused the tension in his shoulders. Smiling affectionately, he allowed himself to be dragged off.

A few hours later he wasn't smiling. He and Koiziumi had a grand time riding every water slide in the place, but after they'd eaten lunch and settled down on the lounge chairs they'd commandeered to rest, he'd started to become uneasy. Risa was on her back, her head rest on her arms, eyes closed, while she soaked in the warm sunshine.

Otani didn't dare close his eyes. He was too busy glaring at the men in the pool that had been ogling his girlfriend since she'd lain down. He watched in annoyance as she turned over on her stomach and stretched like a lazy cat, pushing the tops of her breast together even more.

The men in the pool practically salivated and Otani had to suppress the urge to drag her away by her hair like a caveman. He was so lost in his Neanderthal worthy thoughts that he didn't register the fact that Risa had been saying his name.

"Otani are you listening to me?" She grumbled and lightly slapped his thigh. He started and glared.

"What the hell?" She sat up and crossed her arms.

"I've been saying your name for three minutes, baka. I can't reach my back. Can you put some lotion on it for me?"

When she'd called him a baka, he'd been about to do something stupid and start a fight with her, but her request took the wind out of his sails. He paled.

Normally, her request wouldn't be a big deal. It's not like he'd never rubbed tanning lotion on his girlfriend's back before. Rubbing his hands over Risa's smooth skin was always fun, but today, with his out of control feelings so very close to the surface, his reaction to her new swimsuit, and all the lecherous crap Kyle had drummed into his head, he wasn't sure if touching her like that would be a good idea.

She shot him a concerned look and reached out to rest the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Are you okay? You've been acting strange all day." He scowled and ducked away from her touch and her eyes flashed with a trace of hurt. He cursed inwardly. Fuck, he didn't want to upset Risa. His uncooperative hormones were not her fault and he shouldn't be taking his temper out of her.

He gentled his features, grabbed the bottle of lotion, and murmured. "Lay on your back, Koiziumi."

Her features softened as well and she complied. Otani sat down next to her, noticed the envious looks the guys in the pool were shooting him, and smirked in barely concealed arrogance. He squirted a little of the lotion on his hands, rubbed it in and placed his heated palms against her delicate shoulder blades. He started massaging and she let out a startled, pleasure filled groan.

He abruptly stilled.

"O-Otani?"

He could hear the question in her voice, but he didn't trust himself to answer. All the thoughts that he'd been trying to repress exploded and the images flowing through his mind caused him to grow instantly hard. He shifted, trying to hide the evidence and knew he need to get Risa somewhere private.

He thought about calming things, and when that didn't work he went right to grotesque. Dead puppies, wizened teachers, Kyle in a thong…Koiziumi withering naked while he rubbed tanning oil into her skin. He bit back a curse.

_Focus baka! Think un-arousing thoughts. Umibōzu in a dress singing folk tunes, mom before her first cup of tea, calculus homework…._

Slowly but surely his libido calmed down. He sighed in relief and gently finished rubbing the lotion into her skin. It was touch and go for awhile, but he managed to finish without developing a raging boner. If he was at half mast he would have to deal with it and moving away from her would be the first place he could start. Gingerly, he stood and moved back to his chair, making sure to sit in a way that concealed his crotch.

Risa lifted her head enough to glance at him and smiled. "Thank you."

He stifled a groan and tried to tell himself he'd imagined the husky note in her voice, and cursed his uncooperative dick.

He was at breaking point. He scowled, managed to murmur, "Your welcome," and tried to concentrate on anything but Risa. She noticed his scowl and asked, worried.

"Otani are you sure you're all right?" He snapped.

"I told you already. I'm fine!"

Hurt clouded her features, but Risa wasn't the type to meekly go lick her wounds. When she got hurt she got mad. He groaned inwardly. _So much for not wanting to start a fight._

She sat up and crossed her arms over he chest, glaring. "You are not fine," she hissed. "You've been in a bad mood since this morning. What is going on with you?"

He stood up, red faced and yelled. "I told you! Nothing is wrong!"

The boys in the pool as well as the people around them were starting to take notice of their little spat, but both were so angry now that they didn't care.

"You're lying, baka. You've been acting strangely. Why can't you just tell me what's wrong? What's the big secret? I'm your girlfriend; you should be able to tell me. Don't you trust me?"

She was yelling now too and he raked his fingers through his hair and blurted stupidly.

"You want to know what my problem is? I'll tell you. It's that thing you're wearing that can barely be called a bathing suit. You look…like…like…"

He clamped his teeth together, but even though he didn't say it the word rang out in the suddenly oppressive silence. He watched Risa's eyes fill with unshed tears and watched as she blindly groped behind her, grabbed her bag and ran away from him.

He closed his eyes and cursed himself every kind of fool imaginable. _Fuck!_

Kami, he hadn't meant it. She looked beautiful today and he'd implied that she look like a…well a prostitute. Disapproving murmurs filled the air around him, but he ignored them. Otani grabbed his bag and started running. He had to find her before she simply walked out on him. He had to fix this.

He tried to ignore the feeling of dread growing in the pit of his stomach telling him that what he'd said to her just might be unforgivable.

He ran through the park, lungs burning and he'd reached the exit in time to see her already dressed and walking out.

"Koiziumi!" He yelled. She froze and turned, revealing tear stained cheeks and red eyes. He sucked in a ragged breath. Kami, he'd made her cry. He now felt like the world's biggest asshole.

"Stay away from me, Otani. I never want to see you again," she said. She sounded calm and composed and so very unlike his Risa that he was brought up short.

"Risa…you don't mean that? Kami please, I'm sorry." She looked away and shook her head.

"Sorry isn't good enough this time."

Helpless, Otani watched her walk away from him and out of his life.


	6. Groveling for Dummies

Two weeks.

It had been two weeks since his disastrous date with Koiziumi and Otani was quite frankly, completely miserable. He'd skipped his classes and had spent the time wallowing in self pity in his room.

She wouldn't take his calls and the few times he'd gone by her house her parents and siblings had told him that she wasn't there. He knew that was a lie because he could see her peeking out of her bedroom blinds each time.

Growling, he flopped down on to his futon and stared at the ceiling. She wouldn't fucking talk to him! It was disconcerting and frustrating and he blamed Kyle completely!

He rolled over on to his side and stared at the wall. Okay, he knew it wasn't Kyle's fault. His roommate did not control his head and if he'd stopped to for one minute to think with the right one, instead of the jealous, unstable one in his pants, he wouldn't have had this fight with Koiziumi. Why did he do this? Why had he been so torn up over their growing intimacy? He loved her and it wasn't unnatural for people in love to want to have sex.

He'd had no problem with the things they'd done so far, it was only when other people (Kyle) had started interfering that he'd started to feel uneasy. Knowing that Risa had talked to Nobu and probably other people about their relationship had just been the icing on the cake.

When it was their secret he'd been a less tense about the whole thing but now…

He cursed. He needed to just admit it. He was scared, scared that he wouldn't be any good at it, scared that she would be disappointed in him…so he'd lashed out.

He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled back unto his back. He needed to talk to her, needed to get her to listen to him, somehow, someway.

Otani stared at his ceiling and came up with a plan.

* * *

Risa closed the front door, took off her shoes and padded in stocking feet down the hall and started up the stairs to her room. Her mom and dad had said they'd be late today and all of her siblings were out and busy with their own lives. She was blissfully alone.

Usually she'd be jumping for joy at the thought, because as much as she loved her family, they had a tendency to meddle. No less than five times a day had her sister and brother tried to get her to tell them why she'd broken up with Otani, and frankly she didn't want to talk about it.

The only person she'd told had been Nobu during one three hour long distance phone call filled with a lot of bawling, cursing, and much needed sympathy on the part of her best friend.

Even now, two weeks later she still couldn't believe that he'd say something so hurtful to her. Otani had never done that, he'd always been supportive and kind and loving. Even when he'd told her that he wasn't sure if he could think of her as his girlfriend during their rocky courtship, he'd been sincere and as nice as humanly possible.

But at the water parked he'd implied…

She felt tears at the corner of her eyes and she angrily brushed them away. She needed to stop thinking about it, but it hurt, Kami it hurt so much. She'd blushed when Takara had presented the swimsuit to her and she'd been reluctant to wear it, but she'd taken one look at herself in the mirror and….

She'd looked like the kind of girl she'd always wished she could be, bold, sexy, confident, and beautiful. Otani had even seemed to like it in the beginning, but the whole time he must have been thinking…

It was humiliating. She'd never felt so disgusted with herself in her whole life and he was to blame. It hurt even worse that he kept trying to talk to her. She wished he'd leave her alone, after all, what would he want with a…she couldn't think it.

Feeling depressed, Risa trudge up the steps, reached her door, opened it, and promptly froze. Otani was standing in the middle of her room with a sheepish look on his handsome face and a gift bag in one hand. Her jaw dropped and just as quickly snapped shut as the anger came.

"What are you doing here, baka? Did you break in to my house!?"

He winced and frowned at his feet. "When you say it like that it sounds bad," he mumbled. She pushed past him, paced to the other side, and threw open her curtains. Her window was broken and glass littered her floor. She could only stare in disbelief. She blinked, once, twice, and screeched.

"Are you crazy!? How am I going to explain this to my parents? And why are you still here, I don't want to talk to you!"

He responded by twisting her around and gently pushing her down so she was seated on her futon.

"That's too bad Risa, because I need to talk to you. You have to give me a chance to…

She cut him off and glared up at him. "To what? Apologize for calling me a…"

She trialed off and felt tears prick. Angry and embarrassed, she made to brush them away only to start in surprise when a strong, masculine hand cupped her cheek and his thumb gently wiped away her unshed tears.

Pain and regret gripped her heart and squeezed. Here was her Otani, the loving, caring boy she'd fallen in love with…but how could she forgive him. She pulled her face out of his grasp and she watched his features fall.

"I know I messed up Risa. Kami, how I messed up, but I love you and I am sorry. Y-You were, b-beautiful in that suit…are beautiful and I…I'm an idiot." He blushed and stuttered his way through that confession, not use to laying his feelings on the line like that, but he would do anything to get her to listen to him. If it made him uncomfortable…so be it.

He was pleading with her with his eyes and she felt something soften inside her.

"You really hurt me, Otani," she whispered. He lowered himself down and sat next to her on her futon.

"I know…I'm sorry, I just…" He growled, frustrated. "When did it get so complicated Koiziumi? We always had fun together you know? Even before we started dating. You were…are my best friend. You love the same things I do and we can talk about almost anything. Can't we?"

Puzzled she made a strange face and he recoiled.

"Gah…what's with that face!?"

She scowled at him and defended.

"I'm not making a face, baka!"

He glowered right back and waved his index finger in her face. "Yes you are…you made your sour face! I'm trying to be serious here!"

She waved her hands in exasperation.

"Well then be serious. What is it you're really trying to say to me Otani?"

Anger and annoyance flashed over his features and his brow furrowed in a deep scowl. A verbal tide flowed from his lips and any embarrassment or hesitation he normal would have felt was buried under his frustration.

"What I'm trying to say is I love you and I don't want to lose you baka! I'm sorry about what happened at the water park, but you see there were these guys and they wouldn't stop looking at you and Kyle made me watch porn and when I looked at you all I could see was this hot girl that I wanted so badly and the guys looking at you made me jealous and I don't know what I'm doing anymore Koiziumi, because I want to have sex with you so badly, but I don't want to rush you, and Kami what the hell am I suppose to do!"

He screamed the last part and Risa could only watch her boyfriend with stunned, fascinated eyes. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to make sense of the jumbled speech. He'd been jealous at the water park? And what guys? She hadn't seen any guys looking at her. And what was this about Kyle and porn? And he wanted to…to…

She blushed crimson. He slumped forward and buried his face in his hands, dragging one through his unruly hair. She tentatively reached out and took his hand, his head shot up and hope bloomed. She smiled goofily at him.

"You really are an idiot," she whispered. His lips turned up into a ruefully half smile.

"Yeah…yeah I am. But I love you, you know that right? And I'm sorry I was such an unforgivable ass. I don't know how you put…"

Risa laid a finger over his lips, stilling them. She then, much to his surprise, leaned in and brushed her lips over his. He groaned, wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, parted her lips with his, and deepened the kiss.

She went willingly and soon found herself lying on her back while Otani kissed, licked and nibbled her mouth. She sighed when she felt his tongue run languidly along hers and gasped when he shifted his weight and she felt the evidence of his arousal against her thigh. He pulled back briefly and tenderly brushed her hair away from her face, meeting her eyes.

"I missed you," he murmured and she felt her heart constrict. She'd missed him and although what he'd said to her still stung, she found she was well on her way to forgiving him.

"You're still an idiot," she said. He smiled.

"But am I a forgiven idiot?" She shrugged and seemed to think about it for a moment.

"I suppose…depends on what's in the bag." He smirked, pushed himself off of her, swung his legs over, and stood up. The next instant he crossed the room, retrieved his forgotten present, and sat back down next to her. Risa pushed herself into a sitting position and folded her legs Indian style under her. She reached for the bag and he handed it to her.

"I almost went with flowers, but that didn't seem good enough…so I decided to go with this instead."

Curious, Risa opened the bag and promptly squealed.

"No way! What…how? This is Umibōzu's new CD! How did you get this! It's not being released for another two months!"

He shrugged. "I got a friend at the radio station. He's in one of my classes and he got two advanced copies by mistake. He knew I was a fan so he offered to sell me the spare." _For an extortionist's price, but Koiziumi didn't need to know that._

She squealed again and threw herself at him; his arms came up instinctively and locked around his enthusiastic girlfriend's slim waist.

"Oh Otani! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! This is so great!"

He scoffed. "You don't have to thank me, baka." _Just forgive me, _he thought. _Please._

She pulled back and kissed him again, briefly before pulling away. She hopped off the bed and crossed to her CD player.

"You want to stay and listen to it with me?"

_Does the sun rise in the east? Of course he wanted to stay and listen to it. It was Umibōzu._

On the heels of that thought though, came another. He stood up and crossed over to her and took her hands in his.

"I really am sorry, Koiziumi." Her eyes went soft but she didn't want to seem sappy so she hit him on the shoulder.

"Stop with the apologies already! I forgive you, baka. Now let's listen to this CD!"

"Koiziumi! That hurt!" He grumbled, rubbing his shoulder blade. She rolled her eyes, put the CD in and hit play.

"Don't be such a baby…dance with me."

Grumbling he started dancing with her, they danced to the next four tracks and finally collapsed on her futon together, exhausted. Otani wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close and she made a face.

"What's that face for!?"

"I'm sweaty," she groused. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"I don't care." She pulled another face.

"You're sweaty too." He frowned.

"And whose fault is that!"

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm gonna take a shower."

She got up and started out of her room. Otani could only lay there, his cheeks suddenly crimson. He had been doing fine, really he had. He had managed not to think about Risa and sex for almost fifteen minutes, and now she had to go and say that. _Focus baka, you're here to get back into your girlfriend's good graces, not satisfy your raging libido._

He was doing penance…penance for the stupid, moronic, sex induced madness that had taken hold of his brain. He was not going to think about his girlfriend a few feet away from him…wet and naked.

Risa left the room and a few moments later the water turned on. He cursed, grabbed her pillow, shoved his face into it, and screamed.


	7. Awkward Moments

Risa had left her bedroom door open and he had been torturing himself with so many mental images that he was now in a very painfully erect state. Cursing roundly and wondering if his girlfriend was punishing him, he decided that it might be in his best interests to bid her goodbye.

He shifted to throw his legs over the futon and grimaced. _Fuck! _He mentally screamed. He couldn't walk down the street like this! He could barely shift without wincing. Gingerly, he unbuttoned his pants, worked the zipper down, and freed his straining cock. The tip was purple and he knew he had no choice. He was going to have to do something about it.

Gritting his teeth, Otani wrapped his hand around the base and stroked up. His head flew back and his spine arched.

_Kami, that feels good._

He started a steady pace; one he knew from many dateless nights would bring him relief, and closed his eyes. He pictured Koizumi while he moved is palm up and down his shaft. He was so lost in the pleasure, that he didn't hear the water cut off and he didn't see his girlfriend walk into her room, but he sure as hell heard her choked sound when she caught what he was doing.

Otani's eyes flew open, but he couldn't stop now even if he wanted to. He met her gaze and she turned beat red as she watched him move his hand, once, twice, three, times before arching his hips and coming. He collapsed, mortified and blushed painfully.

"Risa I…it's not what…well it is…but…you went to take a shower and see…I…well you're nak…" He trailed off, realizing that there really was nothing he could say to make this situation better. Koizumi's eyes widened and she blushed when she translated his jumbled speech. He was imagining her naked in the shower…he really did want her as badly as he said he did. With a shy smile quirking her lips she padded barefoot to her bedroom door, closed it and locked it, and walked back across the room until she was standing in front of her boyfriend.

Otani stared up at her, swallowed hard, and his brow furrowed in question.

"Koizumi?"

She met his eyes and dropped the towel. Otani almost swallowed his tongue. She was blushing furiously, but she didn't move her gaze from his and he found himself staring at her, his mouth moving like a landed fish.

_Sweet Kami! Koizumi is standing in front of me naked. _

The thought almost short circuited his brain. His gaze traveled from her eyes, down her slender neck, past her delicate collarbone and paused at her rosy tipped breasts. He swallowed hard again and his eyes dropped lower, past stomach and her slender hips, and came to rest hungrily on the ginger curls at the apex of her thighs.

He unconsciously licked his lips. He'd never seen his girlfriend fully nude. Kami, she was beautiful. Delicate, slender, but modestly curved enough to accentuate the differences between them.

"O-Otani," she whispered, but he found he couldn't look away from her sex. All the thoughts and instructions came back to him in a rush and he reached out, grasped her hips and pulled her forward.

"Otani!" She gasped just as he shoved his tongue inside her. Risa made a strange sound and instinctively parted her thighs and rested her hands on his shoulder for balance. Otani wasted no time. He gripped her hips and splayed his fingers of her backside for better leverage. He used his knees to nudge her legs apart even more and ran his tongue over her labia.

She moaned but he was too focused on his task to react. A wicked thought occurred to him as he tongued her. She'd already been wet. Seeing him masturbating had turned her on. He decided that he wanted to make her wetter; he wanted to make her come.

He ran his tongue up her slit and found the glistening pearl he knew would send her over. He flicked it and she gasped. With a naughty grin he latched his lips around her clit and started sucking and tonguing it with sharp, quick flicks.

"O-oh O-Otani. P-Please," she begged. He changed the angle, pushed his tongue inside her and worked her clit with his nose, before taking it between his teeth and scissoring them over the swollen nub. Her legs started to tremble in earnest and he could tell by the sounds she was making that she was close. He released her clit from his teeth, warped his lips around it and started sucking hard and at the same time he moved his right hand around to her front and eased two fingers inside her. The stroking of his large hand and the suction on her clit was almost too much, but when he started flicking his tongue against her again Risa couldn't take it anymore.

With a cry she came hard and Otani lapped at her while she gushed over his mouth and chin. Boneless, she sank down and he had just enough presence of mind to draw them both onto the bed. He kissed her and she could taste herself in his mouth. When they pulled away he smiled down at her and she flushed.

"That was…I…thank you, Otani," she whispered. He grinned at her with that mixture of arrogance and tenderness that had her equal parts wanting to hit him and hug him. He kissed the tip of her nose and rubbed his against hers before moving away.

"I want to make love to you, Risa," he murmured. Her eyes grew a little panicked and she tried to pull away, but he tightened his hold and said.

"Not tonight…I know you're not ready for that tonight. But…think about it would you? We don't have to rush…so whenever you're ready."

She relaxed against him and the tension immediately flowed out of his shoulders. He was feeling drowsy and fighting his eyelids when Risa's voice drew him back to wakefulness.

"O-Otani?"

He met her gaze. He was so close he could see the different swirls of amber and brown in her irises. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip and he stifled a groan as the urge to kiss her came upon him.

"I-I want to make love to you too…but I want it to be someplace…special."

He smirked and gave into his urge to kiss her briefly.

"We'll plan a trip…just the two of us. I'll make it special for you Koizumi."

She smiled, snuggled against him, and soon they were both asleep. Otani lips seemed to be turned into a permanent grin as he dreamed of the girl in his arms. He was going to make love to Koizumi.

Kami, he was the luckiest man alive.

* * *

"Risa." Yoko said, trying to get her attention. The young woman didn't react, she was too busy twisting a shirt with her hands and staring off into space. Yoko eyed her and tried again.

"Risa." She still didn't react. With an exasperated sigh she marched over to her assistant, leaned over, and yelled right in her ear.

"Risa!" She made a startled sound and jumped. Yoko smirked.

"Oh Yoko, I'm so sorry! Have you been calling me long?"

Yoko tapped a finger over her full bottom lip and contemplated the young woman before her. Risa had been decidedly distracted today, so distracted that she'd grabbed the wrong outfit for the last two models that had come into the trailer. It simple wasn't like her to be that scatter brained when it came to her job.

She crossed her arms over her chest and watched the girl shift nervously.

"All right, you might as well tell me what has you drifting off into space. I would eventually like to get some work done and you're so out of it I might as well be working alone."

Risa's face fell and she picked nervously at the shirt in her hands. Yoko tried not to wince. The shirt was Dolce and Gabbana and not only had she wrinkled it beyond recognition, she could see some of the threads coming loose. Sighing, she took the shirt out of Risa's hands before it became completely ruined, draped it over a nearby chair, took Risa's hands in her own, and forced her to sit with her on one of the many benches in the trailer.

"I wasn't maligning your performance. You've been a wonderful assistant Risa, which is why it is pretty obvious something is wrong. Can you tell me?"

The young woman bit her lip and looked away, blushing. Gathering her courage Risa blurted.

"Otani and I are going to have sex and I'm scared!"

Yoko blinked once, twice and then laughed so hard she felt that her insides might burst. Risa blushed harder and tried to pull her hands away, but her boss would have none of it.

Calming down, she met the younger woman's eyes steadily and smiled. "I'm sorry Risa darling, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just…you should have seen the face you made. As for the rest of it, it's perfectly natural to be apprehensive about taking such a step with your boyfriend. I would be more concerned if you weren't. Have you talked to Otani about how you're feeling?"

Risa shot her friend a 'deer-caught-in-headlights' look.

"T-Talked to O-Otani? I-I can't! It's bad enough that I'm so nervous, and he's so excited. He's been going over brochures for the past four days, looking for the perfect place."

Yoko's smile gentled. "Do you love him?"

Risa nodded emphatically, and whispered. "Yes, yes I love him very much."

"Do you want to have sex with him?"

The younger woman bit her lip. "Y-Yes, it's just…"

"Just what?" Her boss prompted.

Risa went pale. "What if I'm bad at it? What if I'm so bad at it that Otani realizes what a big mistake he made dating me!? What if when we're making love he starts to dwell on our height differences again! And then starts thinking he could do better than an oversized, Amazon like me! What if…"

She had been becoming steadily more panicked as she spoke. Wide-eyed, Yoko interrupted her before she had a full blown anxiety attack.

"Risa calm down, darling. You need to calm down. That's it, breathe for me. Just breathe."

Slowly, the distraught girl became composed enough so that Yoko was sure she wouldn't pass out on her. In a very motherly fashion she squeezed her fingers.

"Risa, Otani loves you. He's not going to break up with you just because you have no experience. If that was the case he'd have done it already. He's a good man, darling. If you aren't ready to take this step, you need to tell him. He'll understand."

She hung her head, dejected. "I-I am ready…I just don't want…I'm scared he'll…"

She couldn't complete any of her sentences. Yoko frowned and pulled the younger woman into a hug. Risa clung to her gratefully.

"Otani won't leave you just because you have sex with him. If all he'd wanted was that he'd have shown his true colors a long time ago. He loves you. You don't have to be afraid of disappointing him."

She pulled back and Risa gave her a watery smile. Yoko squeezed her hands one last time and released her.

"Now, how about we get some work done, yes?" Risa's smile widened and she nodded. Yoko breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her assistant move to the other end of the trailer and start going through the outfits for the next model. She shook her head.

Sometimes she forgot how very young her assistant really was. She frowned slightly. If Otani did hurt her, Yoko promised that there would be hell to pay.

* * *

Otani was going to ignore Kyle. It was better for his sanity…safer. His roommate was a pervert and a lecher. Every time Otani listened to him the bastard got him in to trouble.

"Oi, midget are you even listening to me?" Kyle yelled and whacked him on the back of his head.

"That hurt, moron!" Otani yelled. Kyle smirked.

"Well you shouldn't have been ignoring me, asshole."

He scowled at his friend. "I'm ignoring you out of self preservation. Last time I listened to you Koizumi and I almost broke up."

Kyle looked hurt. "That was so not my fault, bra. And besides, you learned a little something from the torture so it all worked out in the end. Now, tell me where you plan on going to be in flagrante delicto with the fair Risa."

Kyle waggled his eyebrows and Otani hit him in the shoulder…hard.

"Ow! Dammit midget that hurt!"

His friend scowled. "Then stop being a perverted ass!" Kyle sighed in a long suffering fashion.

"I swear, you tie a guy to a chair and make him watch a few measly porn tapes and you're forever labeled a pervert."

"No, you were a pervert before…that just made you creepy."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You still need to tell me where you're going. I can help."

Kyle reached for a nearby brochure and Otani snatched it away before he could grab it.

"I've had enough help from you. If you help me anymore then next time Koizumi will probably kick me in the nuts before breaking up with me forever. I'll be emasculated and alone…no thanks."

"Again, so not my fault your perverted little midget mind got you all jealous and stupid."

Otani's eyed twitched. "You tied me to a chair and made me watch hours of porn. You made diagrams, you…"

"Didn't have anything to do with you opening your stupid mouth and calling her a ho. That was all you, bra. Besides, why in the hell are we continuing to beat this dead horse? She forgave you, you made up, and now you're off to some super secret squirrel love nest to do the mattress dance with your hot girlfriend."

Otani glared at him. "Don't you have somewhere else to be…far, far away from here?"

Kyle sighed. "Dude seriously, let me help. I'm the master blaster of seduction."

His little friend graced him with a sardonic look. Kyle decided to amend his statement.

"Okay, maybe not the master, but I'm in the top five. I swear I'm sorry about before. I can't help that you're just do damn easy to tease and besides I might just be a wee bit jealous of you, man."

Hearing the very strange note in his friend's voice Otani looked up.

"Me? Why are you jealous of me? You've got girls…"

Kyle stood up abruptly and cut him off.

"Yeah man…I know…but you got Koizumi. She loves you, like really and truly cares about you. Most girls…well they may like to take me for a test drive but I've never had one that wanted to stick around to buy the car. You're lucky. Most people go their entire lives and never find that."

There was a very distinct and unfamiliar maudlin tone to Kyle's voice that he'd never heard before. Otani quietly studied his friend for a few moments and noticed that the blond refused to meet his gaze. He blinked, surprised. Kyle was actually being serious for once. Gruffly, Otani mumbled.

"All right…you can help me pick out a place."

Kyle grinned and pumped his fist in the air.

"All right! One truly awesome love nest coming up!"

Otani dropped his head into his hands. He was sure he was going to regret this.


	8. Author's Note

Author's note on discontinued story:

All right I'm a pretty reasonable person. I will take and apply as much constructive criticism as anyone can dish out. Frankly, it helps me become a better writer and I am appreciative. So if you have stylistic comments, comments on structure or continuity, and a dozen other critiques, I'm not going to bat an eye.

This last review I got was not constructive but a personal attack. I do apologize if there was offense, for I meant none, and I did state as much in my opening paragraph. As for the use of Kami, I simply adapted that from other usages I've seen in other fan fictions. I never claimed to be Japanese and I am relatively new to anime. Now I do know and in the future I'll simply use English.

As for the personal stuff. You don't know me, don't know a thing about me, and as for the use of so called 'force' in this fic. Otani would never force Risa to do anything she doesn't want to do and I have read through this many times and I do not believe that there is a hint of him forcing her to do anything. As for her apprehensions and fears, of course she is going to discuss those with him. They wouldn't be in a relationship if she couldn't. As for your rather gross and incompetent dig at my love life about the assumption that I will possible abuse or be abuse by someone I was intimate with. I literally have no words. I could list any number of reason why that is never going to be me, or happen to me, but those are personal, and I'm not about to air my life because you have deicide to be cruel and petty.

Again, you know absolutely nothing about me. You are not qualified to remark on my character. Those who do know me think otherwise.

I'm sorry to those of you who were reading this story and wished it to continue, but if this is the kind of thing I'm inviting in to my life because of what was to be a simple and humorous fan fiction story then I have to say that I'm done. I usually wouldn't have reacted this strongly, because I've got a thick skin, but the personal attacked crossed the line. Thank you for reading.

Rogue Amazon Boo


	9. Murphy's Law

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I've decided to finish this, although updates may be sporadic now that I'm back in school. Gotta love those lit classes, yo. Thanks to everyone who sent their good wishes my way. Because of the overwhelming response I've decided that I do want to finish this story. I was wavering between removing it completely and simply finishing it, and since I've never really been a quitter I've decided to move forward. So here's the next chapter. Sorry this one is so short. The next one will be longer.**

* * *

Otani breathed in the fresh mountain air and took a good look around. He had to admit this resort was completely awesome. Kyle had finally got something right. Nervous, he looked around the lobby and found his girlfriend talking to the desk clerk. She caught his eye and a slight blush stained her cheeks and she graced him with a shy smile.

He felt an answering blush suffuse his own skin and he smiled back just as softly. Man, he couldn't believe they'd done it. They'd packed some bags, boarded a train this morning, and now they were checking in to a secluded mountain resort that boasted of some of the finest natural hot springs Japan had to offer.

It was quiet, peaceful, and very romantic. It was perfect.

Otani watched his girlfriend with a soft light in his eyes. He could tell Risa was tense and it bothered him. He didn't want her to be so nervous about this. Frowning slightly, he continued to watch her while she bent over a map the clerk was showing her.

He let his gaze wander down and an image of what she'd looked like, in front of him, bare and satisfied, flashed in his mind and he stifled his groan. _Focus baka!_

The swelling in his jeans caused him to shift and he forced back those pleasing mental images. He wanted her…badly and he knew that she wanted him, but he also didn't want her to do this with him if she wasn't ready. That thought was like a bucket of ice water, cooling his heated thoughts and returning him to his pervious line of inquiry quite effectively.

He watched her hand flutter over the map, the slight tremor at odds with the happy expression on her face. No doubt about it, his girlfriend was extremely nervous, and it wasn't just a case of butterflies. He frowned now.

She had told him she was ready. Would she have said that to him if she really wasn't?

A disturbing thought came over him and he bit his lip, worrying it.

She'd agreed to do this after he'd made her come and she'd seemed okay with it at the time, but maybe…

Maybe she hadn't made the decision because she wanted to, but because she was afraid that he expected it of her…of them. After all, sex was the next logical step in their relationship. Troubled, he studied her.

He only hoped she realized that although sex was the next logical step, he didn't expect it just because they were together and had done other sexual things with each other. He loved Risa, loved her because she was funny, and sweet, and fun to be with. Loved her because she could geek out with him over the newest Umibōzu news, because she loved to dance and play and watch scary movies with him. He loved the funny faces she made when she was frustrated, happy, angry, sad, playful, or just plain grumpy, loved how expressive she was. He adored the way she cuddled against him when they were alone and he liked the quiet times they could spend together while he did his homework and she reclined on his futon reading manga.

In short, he just…loved her…everything about her, even the things that sometimes drove him insane.

He never wanted her to feel like she had to give him anything…especially something as special as her virginity, to make him stay with her. Otani was so lost in these troubling thoughts that he hadn't noticed her standing next to him until she yelled into his ear.

Startled, he jumped three feet in the air and turned to glower at his girlfriend.

"Nani! Why'd you do that Koizumi!" She rolled her eyes.

"Because I called your name three times and you didn't answer me, baka!"

He drew himself up and parted his lips to jump into one of his usually tirades, but he caught himself. Risa was so jittery she was practically quivering with it and he immediately understood why. He glanced down at her right hand and saw the white knuckled grip she had on their room keys. With infinite gentleness he placed his hand over hers and massaged her fingers lightly until she eased up enough to drop them in his hand. He took a deep breath, met her eyes, rose up, and brushed a gently kiss against her lips. Risa's shivers dimmed, but didn't go away completely.

His lips twitched into a half smile. "Come on Koizumi, let's go put this stuff down and then we can go out and get something to eat! I'm starving!"

She blinked, once, twice, her surprise clearly written on her face.

"But what about…aren't we going to…" He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He raised her hand and dropped a quick kiss against the back of it.

"Not now…Risa we've got all weekend to do…well….that. Let's just get some food, maybe do a little shopping and just do the tourist thing. We'll figure the rest out later."

Her wide, grateful smile confirmed Otani's pervious fears and he choked back a sigh. He was a little disappointed, but he knew that in the long run they would be stronger for it. He had hope that maybe she would relax enough to the point that she really did want too…with him…he shook himself before the lustful thoughts could take hold. Instead he linked his fingers with hers and tugged her towards the elevator.

The bellhop had already taken the bulk of their luggage, so all they had to do was put down their duffle bags.

"Come on, let's go have some fun."

"Yeah," she replied softly, her eyes shining and he tension rolling out of her shoulders, "that sounds good."

* * *

It was late when they got back to their room and Otani was so tired he could barely see straight. They'd found a small sushi place near the hotel that had excellent tuna rolls and after eating till their pants didn't fit anymore they decided to sight see.

The small gift shop and boutiques had all manner of cool stuff and they had happily browsed, sometimes picking up ridiculous items just to exclaim over how ridiculous they actually were. Otani had even managed to sneak behind Risa's back and purchased a tiny frog carved from sugi wood that she'd admired in one of the shops. When he presented it to her in his usual gruff and slightly awkward manner she'd pulled him into a secluded corner and kissed him deeply. It would have quickly got out of hand had not an elderly woman seen them and shooed them out of her shop. She'd descended like a harpy and both of them had fled holding hands, only to almost collapse in laughter when they were far enough away from her and her killer harisen.

The rest of the day whittled away as they'd availed themselves of the communal hot springs. They'd stayed in the water until they were pruny, talking about school, Risa's internship, their respective families and friends, Umibōzu, Risa's chance at dressing the models for a whole shoot, Umibōzu, Otani's up and coming classes, more Umibōzu, and rounded it off with a long debate on, taking a wild stab in the dark here… Umibōzu. They'd been so wrapped up in each other that they hadn't realized it had long since grown dark and most of the other people had left the springs.

They'd finally left the springs and as they slowly made their way back to the rooms Otani could see the nerves that had plagued his girlfriend this morning had returned. He didn't say anything, mainly because he didn't want to have so an intimate discussion in the hallway, and simply held the door for her.

She ducked her head shyly, and went inside. Otani followed and shut the door behind them.

The minute the door shut behind them Risa and Otani just sort of stood there, neither quite sure what to say to the other. Finally, she decided to break the silence.

"W-Well, I guess we should get ready for…bed." Otani grimaced slightly. If he needed anymore proof that his girlfriend wasn't really ready to do this then he was even more obtuse then people thought. She was practically dancing in place. With a long sigh and a rueful grin Otani caught her fidgeting fingers in his hands and rubbed soothing circles over her knuckles.

"Risa, I…"

He was about to say that he loved her, that they didn't have to do this right now, and that he knew she wasn't ready and he would be happy to wait as long as she needed. He would have said any and all of those things…until he caught sight of her face. She looked a little green around the gills. Concerned, he said.

"Koizumi?"

She parted her lips and promptly hurled all over him.


	10. When in Roman, Don't Eat the Fish!

Risa was mortified, or at least she would have been if she hadn't felt like she was in the process of dying. Groaning, she rolled over on to her side and clutched her stomach. It was morning and she still couldn't believe how she'd humiliated herself by vomiting all over her boyfriend last night when they'd come back to their room. To his credit he'd barely twitched an eyebrow and when she started to gag again he'd hastily helped her to the bathroom and held her hair back as she threw up again.

She moaned slightly and felt the familiar bile rise in the back of her throat, but this time she managed to clamp down on the urge. Risa felt the tears prick her eyes and blinked them away.

Here she was staying in a great hotel suite, at one of the most beautiful and relaxing places in Japan, and instead of enjoying herself she was withering in abject misery.

After the violent nausea she'd experienced other, more embarrassing aspects and to her vast disbelief had found that she'd managed to come down, like a third of the guests at the resort who'd also ordered the wrong thing at the sushi restaurant she and Otani had gone to, with food poisoning. She should have realized that something was wrong when the headache she'd been nursing for part of the day hadn't dissipated, but continued to steadily pound at her temples. She'd managed to ignore it for the most part and the aspirin she'd taken had turned it into a dull ache, at least enough for her to enjoy her day with Otani, but it seemed that the rising nausea that she'd simply regulated to nerves and had finally been unable to hold in had been a little more serious than she'd thought.

She groaned and shivered as the feverish chills racked her slim body and pulled the covers tighter around her frame. She wished Otani would come back; it seemed that his presence made her suffering a little more bearable. She frowned when she caught sight of the blinking alarm clock sitting on the low table near her futon. He'd been gone about an hour. Her frown deepened. He'd supposedly just gone down to the desk to see if they could extend their room for another day or so. He had known that in her present condition Risa was not going to be able to ride the train home. She shivered again. Her despair bone deep and she felt tears dust her cheeks.

This was horrible, she'd come here with the intention of making love for the first time with her boyfriend and now she was stuck in this hotel room, weak as a newborn kitten, bombarded with fits of vomiting and other unpleasantness, and burning up with fever. Kami, it was unfair!

Plus, what must Otani be thinking? Sure he'd been nothing but wonderful, caring for her, trying to help her keep fluids down, helping her to and from the bathroom, and holding her hand and her hair while she was violently ill. And after each bout of illness he'd hold her and sooth her, but she was scared that he was appalled and disappointed. She kept her fears to herself and told herself she was being foolish and she most likely was. Otani had never treated her like she was a burden, but Risa still couldn't help but hold on to those insecurities that had plagued her most of her life.

Deep down, she knew they were silly, she knew that Otani loved her, knew that he would never want her to do anything that made her uncomfortable, but then that part of her that had spent too many years being too tall, too loud, too opinionated, too…whatever the boys she'd liked before Otani had found unappealing, that she was almost afraid that one day Otani would look at her and think, my God, what am I doing with this Amazonian loud mouth when I could be with a pretty, petite, well mannered, quiet girl who worshipped the ground I walked on.

And that, she knew, was what was standing in between her and her desire to have sex with Otani. She wanted him, wanted him so badly she ached with it sometimes, but she was still afraid that once she relinquished this last part of her being to him that she would have no defense against him if he decided to walk away from her.

She knew that Otani, Kami love him, wasn't aware of half of this, knew too that she should probably tell him, but Kami help her she couldn't even bring herself to talk to Nobu about all of this, Nobu her best friend and the one person in the world, besides Otani who knew her best of all. Miserable, she snuggled down deeper into the covers.

No, she couldn't talk to Otani…she simply wasn't ready. Staring silently at the far wall she wondered depressingly if she would ever be ready…and what that meant for her and Otani's future.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Otani stood in the middle of the hotel store oblivious to his girlfriend's inner turmoil, but concerned about her outward suffering, and surveyed the over priced offerings to be had. He grabbed a box of oolong tea and some bland rice crackers and made his way to the cashier to pay for his purchases. He smiled at the pretty clerk and she blushed and smiled back at him and rung up his purchases. He thanked her and made his way back to the elevator bank.

Food poisoning, he mused darkly. Fate really seemed to be giving him the finger lately. He scowled, not that fate was entirely to blame. Although it was nice to know that it was food poisoning and not abject fear that caused his girlfriend to toss her cookies on him last night, he couldn't dismiss the nerves he could practically feel jumping off of her skin when they'd reached their hotel room door.

His scowl deepened slightly. Risa wasn't ready to have sex with him; that was abundantly clear. So why hadn't she told him? Yeah to be honest, he was a little disappointed in how things turned out so far, but he understood, just like he would and did understand that she might not be as ready as she had said she was to take this step with him. He pushed the button with a little more force than necessary and stepped inside when the doors swooshed open. He pushed the button for his floor and twiddled with the package of crackers.

His mind was unaccustomed to this overflow of thought. Otani knew that he wasn't always the most perceptive of guys, a fact that the night of Risa's seventeenth birthday will forever bear witness to. He'd been so obtuse that he hadn't realized that Koizumi had been confessing her feelings to him until she'd practically forced the realization on him during the school festival a couple of months later. Still, he felt he'd improved since then and he trying, he really, really was. In fact he was trying so hard he was developing a migraine. As he left the elevator and approached his room he was faced with one inalterable fact. The one fact that was becoming more and more glaringly obvious as he approached the door…Risa was afraid to sleep with him. She wanted to, he'd felt how her body reacted to him the few times they'd gone beyond kissing, but she was afraid to take it all the way. The question was…why?

Determined to get some answers he opened their hotel room door and paused when he found Risa crumpled on the floor near the bathroom.

"Koizumi!" He yelled and ran to her side and gently rolled her over. She groaned and blinked up at him.

"Otani?" He frantically felt her forehead and winced at the heat coming off her body. Heart pounding, he gently gathered her in his arms and carried her back to the futon.

"Stupid baka," he said gruffly, but not unkindly. "Why didn't you wait for me to help you?"

She blushed and buried her head in his shoulder.

"I thought I was going to vomit again and I didn't want to do it in the bucket."

He grunted, but didn't respond as he gently laid her back down on the futon and kissed her forehead.

"I've got tea and if you feel up to them some rice crackers. Also I'll get you some more pills to take the fever down."

She pouted. "I don't think I'll be able to keep them down." He brushed her hair off her forehead and this time tried to leave a lingering peck on her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand and mumbled.

"Don't…I have bad breath." He lightly clasped her wrist, pulled her hand away, and brushed his lips quickly over hers grinning.

"I don't care, now how about some tea?"

She felt tears sting her eyes again and nodded gratefully as she sank back down onto the futon. Otani kissed her temple lightly and left her to go make her tea. As he worked, he resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be getting any answers to his questions while she was still sick, but once they were back home and she was feeling better…all bets were off.


End file.
